Merseyside man who went missing in French Alps speaks of sadness after avalanche deaths

A MERSEYSIDE man who went missing after the catastrophic avalanche in the French Alps that claimed the lives of nine people has spoken of his sadness despite the relief that greeted him when he turned up safe.

Gendarmes unload a victim of the avalanche from a helicopter at Chamonix rescue base, French Alps

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A MERSEYSIDE man who went missing after the catastrophic avalanche in the French Alps that claimed the lives of nine people has spoken of his sadness despite the relief that greeted him when he turned up safe.Dave Compton of Ellesmere Port said he and his climbing mate were half an hour behind the group caught up in the avalanche on Mont Maudit.

While he did not see the deluge of snow, the 41-year-old saw the aftermath - climbers assembled either side of what would have been the beaten track.

That, coupled with strong winds, persuaded him to turn back towards Chamonix.

But Mr Compton did not realise there was a search party out for him or the scale of what had happened until he saw the news.

A rescue helicopter returning from the avalanche site in Chamonix, French Alps

"Then we realised the gravity of the situation when we saw the news so we went straight down to the mountain guides’ association and reported that we were still alive.

"They were very relieved, obviously. It was basically two people they didn’t have to look for.

"They expected us to be on that route but they didn’t know what time we would be setting off."

Mr Compton said he called his wife, who was "very relieved" although she had not been aware of the situation, as soon as he returned from the mountain, as he had always done during his seven years as a climber.

But despite the relief at his appearance, Mr Compton spoke of his own sadness at what had happened, saying: "I feel a little down because people that I have had a lot in common with have died."